


in the cards

by bluenorth



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: First Dates, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, M/M, Mind Manipulation, Vampire Hunters, Vampires, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 11:18:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16474553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluenorth/pseuds/bluenorth
Summary: “I don’t really like Halloween,” Connor mumbles.“Dude,” Darnell just says. There’s so much judgment in it that Connor almost wishes he hadn’t said anything. “You remember my friend Leon, who I told you about?”Connor dimly recalls the name coming up in a conversation they had a while ago. “Kinda,” he says.“The guy I wanted to set you up with, but you said you weren’t interested at the time? He’s gonna be at the party.”





	in the cards

**Author's Note:**

  * For [carissima](https://archiveofourown.org/users/carissima/gifts).



> Happy Halloween, dear H!  
> Thank you for running this challenge. I had so much fun writing this fic and I hope you enjoy it <333 
> 
> A massive massive thank you to Lor for helping me with the plot and title and fixing all the mistakes I made. Couldn't have done it without you <333

“Do you have plans for Halloween?” 

It’s early on a Monday morning. They’re waiting for their econ class to start and Connor is not fully awake yet, so Darnell’s question takes him by surprise. It’s also barely September and Halloween seems too far in the future to be making any plans.

“Uh, nothing,” Connor replies through an unstifled yawn.

“Then you’re totally coming to my party,” Darnell says and holds a black piece of paper up in front of Connor’s face. It’s full of random halloween clipart and has Darnell’s address on it, and the words **COSTUME NOT OPTIONAL!!!** in bold, orange letters.

“I don’t really like Halloween,” Connor mumbles. 

“Dude,” Darnell just says. There’s so much judgment in it that Connor almost wishes he hadn’t said anything. Darnell seems willing to let the insult to his favorite holiday slide, though. “You remember my friend Leon, who I told you about?”

Connor dimly recalls the name coming up in a conversation they had a while ago. “Kinda,” he says. 

“The guy I wanted to set you up with, but you said you weren’t interested at the time? He’s gonna be there.”

Connor groans. “I’m still not interested.” 

“Okay, but tell me this: when was the last time you got laid?”

It’s been a while, Connor has to admit. Darnell and Adam keep telling him he’s taking uni too seriously, that he needs to go out more and meet someone. Not the love of his life, just someone to have fun with. 

“Why are you so concerned with my sex life anyway?”

Darnell sighs. “I’m an excellent wingman and you’re not letting me do my thing. And also it’s probably not healthy.”

“And if I go to the Halloween party with this Leon guy, will that get you to leave me alone?”

“I promise, if you do this I’ll never try to get you a hook-up ever again,” Darnell says. He looks very pleased with himself.

“Fine,” he says anyway. “I never know what to dress up as.” 

“I know just the right costume for you.” Darnell says. The grin on his face doesn’t reassure Connor he won’t come to regret this decision at all.

  
  


Two months later, Connor finds himself in a surprisingly elaborate vampire costume with a high collared black cape. The inner lining is a dark, rich red, and it is made of a heavier fabric than Connor expected. It’s complete with a pair of fake fangs that make it hard to speak or drink like a normal person. To his dismay, Darnell also convinced him to put on make-up, so his skin is itching a bit under the foundation that makes his skin look an unhealthy color. As if his skin wasn’t pale enough already. 

He doesn’t think it’ll help him with his date, but that’s actually working in his favor. Maybe if the guy shows no interest in him, he’ll be able to get out of this quickly. He’s already annoyed by all the people who started trickling in an hour ago and who are mostly very drunk already. He’s found a spot to stand and sip his coke from a red solo cup near the buffet. 

“Connor!” someone calls over the loud music, and Connor sees Darnell making his way over to him with a tall, handsome stranger in tow who must be Leon. 

He looks hot as hell in a pair of tight-fitted black jeans, a black shirt and leather jacket. There’s a sword of some sort strapped to his back, its long hilt sticking up above his shoulder. Connor is having some trouble identifying what his costume is supposed to be and he feels incredibly silly in his over-the-top vampire outfit.

“This is Leon,” Darnell says, and Connor shakes Leon’s hand and tries to smile at him without showing off the fake teeth. 

“Nice to meet you,” Leon says. “You clearly put a lot of effort into your costume.” He sounds a little amused, but not in an unfriendly way. Connor wants to take off the coat and burn it. 

“Uh, thanks. Nursey got it for me,” he says instead. “What are you supposed to be? Some kind of ninja?” 

Darnell laughs like he’s been waiting to tell the punchline of this joke for a year, and pushes the front of Leon’s jacket aside to reveal a holster that’s strapped to his chest. Three very big and pointy stakes are in it, as well as a small silver flask.

“Vampire hunter,” Leon says, seemingly even more amused.

“Oh man,” Connor says to Darnell, “You think you’re hilarious, don’t you?”

“I  _ am _ hilarious,” he replies, still chuckling. “And now I’m going to let you two get acquainted. Leon just got back from visiting his family in Germany, and Connor hasn’t been drunk in way too long,” he says, and dances off in his colorful fairy costume, not without throwing a cloud of glittery dust in the air above them. It ends up in Connor’s drink and all over his hair. Leon, somehow, manages to stay glitter-free.

“I don’t know what he else he has told you about me, but none of it is true,” Connor says, because Darnell claims to be his friend but he also enjoys humiliating Connor way too much. 

“He just said you’re good-looking,” Leon says, “and I wouldn’t say that was false information.”

Connor blushes and hopes the paint on his face hides it. He hasn’t been flirted with this openly ever. 

“Thanks,” he says, because he thinks that’s what he’s supposed to say, but it sounds like a question and he doesn’t know what else to say after.

“Are you interested in getting a little drunk tonight? Cause I could get us beer,” Leon says. 

Connor figures that’s the only way he’ll survive the night without feeling completely out of his depth. “Yeah, that sounds like a plan.” 

Connor finds out very quickly that Leon is pretty much the perfect guy. He’s funny, he’s charming, and he doesn’t bat an eyelash at all the awkward things Connor says. He doesn’t seem particularly interested in the party, but he keeps getting them drinks and snacks and seems to enjoy listening to Connor talk about his classes and hockey. 

He tells Connor about Germany and his family, and how he came to Canada to work abroad for a while. Connor means to ask what he does for work, but at that moment, Darnell passes them and somehow manages to pull them into the crowd of dancing people in the living room, once again disappearing in a cloud of glitter. 

“I don’t really dance,” Connor says apologetically. Leon grins and looks around them.

“I don’t think any of this technically counts as dancing,” he says, but he takes Connor’s hand and makes a way for them through the crowd until they reach the hallway. Connor is hot and he thinks the number of guests must have tripled since he got here. Everyone is drunk and loud, and Connor wishes he could be somewhere else. With Leon.

“Let’s get some air,” Leon suggests, and Connor nods. When they step outside, he is grateful for the cool, fresh air filling his lungs. His ears are ringing from the loud music inside.

The street isn’t as busy as it was when Connor arrived. Most of trick-or-treaters must be sound asleep by now, so it’s just the occasional group of people moving on to another party or calling it a night. 

“Didn’t know Darnell could throw a party like that,” Leon says. He sits down on the steps leading up to the veranda and Connor joins him. “It’s not surprising at all, though,” he replies. 

What is surprising is that Connor has actually been enjoying himself a lot this evening, when he didn’t expect to at all. He chalks most of it up to Leon’s charm, but he doesn’t remember ever feeling so comfortable around someone he’s only just met.

“I’m glad he set this up,” Leon says softly, as if he’s been reading Connor’s thoughts. He shifts his body to close the bit of space that separated them before. 

“I wasn’t at first,” Connor admits. “He kind of had to bribe me into it.”

“How come?”

Leon’s leg is pressed against his and it is distracting. It makes Connor want to spill his heart out, to open that box of inside him, where he locks away the loneliness and the sadness. He never shares those with anyone, and he shouldn’t want to share them with Leon, but he does. Maybe not all of it all at once, but he wants to give Leon an honest answer, even if that means he’ll be put off by the mess Connor is. Then again, Leon doesn’t seem like someone who spooks easy. 

“I guess I got used to being alone,” he says and lets out a long breath. Sometimes, saying the things he feels out loud is impossible and it is a relief to put this into words. “And I didn’t like the thought of putting myself out there, you know? It’s scary.”

A kind smile appears on Leon’s lips, and Connor thinks that Leon understands. “So, do you regret coming?” he asks. 

“No,” Connor says quickly, and blushes because of it. “I’m having a really good time,” he adds quietly. 

“Yeah. So am I.” 

Leon’s voice sounds sincere and Connor leans into him, chasing something he hasn’t had in a long time. Leon places his arm around Connor’s shoulder, solid and warm, and says, “Hey.” It’s barely more than a whisper. 

Connor looks at him then and finds Leon so close that it would take nothing at all for their lips to touch. Connor wishes he had taken out his vampire teeth.

A loud scream echoes through the night and hangs between them, increasing the space to something not so easily surmounted. A few seconds pass and then laughter follows the scream. It sounds like a prank between friends and Connor would like nothing more than to forget about it and get back to focusing on Leon’s lips, but Leon’s arm has slipped away and he seems preoccupied with something. 

“Can you excuse me for a moment?” Leon asks, already getting up from the stairs.

“Uh, sure,” Connor says, because he isn’t smooth enough to tell Leon that he’d much rather be kissing him instead. 

“I’ll meet you back inside,” Leon says, and goes back into the house, leaving Connor confused and, even though he would never admit it, hurt. 

He wonders if he did something wrong, and tries to smell his own breath to see if it’s bad, even though his mouth tastes vaguely of something fruity. Perhaps Leon just needed an interruption to realize he was about to kiss a gigantic loser. Or maybe he was going to kiss Connor out of pity, and welcomed the chance to flee instead. 

The last thing Connor wants to do is to go back inside and wait for Leon to let him down easy or worse, to wait for him and realize at 3 am that he’s long gone. 

So he gets up, ready to call a cab and go home where he can curl up in bed and wallow in his misery. He only makes it a few steps before someone steps in his path. 

“The party’s not over yet, is it?” 

The guy standing in front of Connor has a soft, sonorous voice and he looks absolutely beautiful. Not handsome and gorgeous like Leon, but beautiful, with delicate features and curly hair that falls into his eyes, which are framed by the longest eyelashes Connor has ever seen on a man. He’s tall and wearing an animal print onesie that probably hides a muscular body.

“No, still going,” Connor replies. 

“Then how come you’re leaving? I’m sure we could have some fun together, don’t you?” 

“My date ditched me,” Connor says, and he’s only surprised by that as an afterthought. He also doesn’t think Leon rejecting him was so bad after all, because Darnell seems to have more dateable friends than he ever let on. 

“Now that’s just rude, but it works in my favor, gorgeous,” the guy says. Connor has never once thought of himself as gorgeous, but now he has to consider that maybe he was just never able to see it. 

“I don’t really want to go inside, do you?” Connor shakes his head. He doesn’t want anything right now, other than to look into this guy’s dark eyes and listen to his voice.

“Let’s go somewhere a little more private,” he says and leads Connor around the corner of the house and to the edge of the garden, where it is much darker. Connor can still hear the voices and the thumping of the music from inside the house, but the garden is empty. 

“Darnell said the garden was off limits,” Connor says.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” the guy says and Connor finds himself not caring about Darnell’s silly rules at all. Instead, he finds himself pushed up against the cold, hard wall behind him with the guys open mouth hot on the side of his neck, nibbling at the skin there. 

The thought that this is all going way too fast crosses his mind, but it is fleeting and quickly replaced by a blissful rush of adrenaline shooting through his veins. He barely registers the dull pain brought on by sharp teeth digging into his flesh or the warm liquid trickling down his neck. It is strangely pleasant, like this is what he was always meant to do and he slides one hand into the guys hair, keeping him exactly where he is, sucking at Connor’s skin. 

“Connor!” 

The voice calling his name is just loud enough to cut through the haze in Connor’s mind. He opens his eyes and sees Leon running towards them, one of the stakes from his costume in his hand. The guy lets up from Connor’s neck and turns his head to the side, but Leon reaches them much faster than Connor thought possible. He pulls the guy off Connor, and drives the stake through his chest without hesitation. 

The guy blows up in a cloud of dust.

Connor screams. 

“Connor, are you okay?” Leon asks, and he takes a step towards Connor, who holds out his hand to stop him. His head is still fuzzy and he’s feeling woozy, but he’s pretty sure he just saw Leon kill someone, so he doesn’t want him any closer. 

“What the…,” Connor starts, but then he notices that his neck feels wet, and when he touches it with his hand, it comes away sticky and red. 

“I’m bleeding,” he mumbles, and everything fades to black.

  
  


Connor wakes up with a headache and feeling like even moving a finger might kill him, so he settles for opening his eyes first. He takes in his surroundings and is relieved when he sees the Leafs flag that hangs above the bed in Darnell’s childhood room.

There’s a bad taste in his mouth and something stuck to his teeth that definitely doesn’t belong. He manages to lift his arm even though it is impossibly heavy and take the thing out.

It’s the fake vampire teeth he remembers putting in the night before, for Darnell’s party. He stares at them, trying to piece together what happened. He remembers nearly kissing Leon and wanting to leave when Leon disappeared on him, but everything after that is a jumbled mess. He remembers animal print, a deep voice, blood on his hands.

That last thing makes him pause and he touches the side of his neck. He finds it covered by a big patch of thick gauze. 

“What the fuck happened?” Connor says to himself. 

“You got bit by a vampire,” Darnell’s voice replies and a second later, his face appears above Connor. “Sit up and drink this,” he adds. In the corner of his eye, Connor sees him set down a glass on the nightstand. 

“A vampire?” Connor asks, unsure of whether to laugh or assume that Darnell has gone insane. 

“Yup. Bloodsucking bastard,” Darnell nods. “Come on, you need to drink the potion before it gets too cold.” 

“Potion?” Connor echoes.

Darnell sighs and manhandles Connor until he’s in an upright position. Then, he puts a tall glass into Connor’s hand. The liquid inside is thick and it’s color is an unappetizing brownish red. 

“What the fuck?” Connor just says. 

Darnell sighs again. “You lost a lot of blood last night and we couldn’t take you to the hospital for a transfusion, so you better drink this. It’ll replenish your own blood volume in no time.” 

“What the fuck?” Connor repeats, fully aware he sounds like a broken record. None of what Darnell is saying makes any sense. 

“Okay,” Darnell says and sits down at the edge of the bed. “Guess we need to rip off the band-aid first.” He flicks his wrist and the bandage on Connor’s neck is ripped away, leaving behind the burning sensation that comes with having glue removed from skin. 

“Ouch— how did you do that?” Connor asks, staring at his friend of five years and wonders if he’s actually awake or still dreaming.

“I’m a witch, but one thing after another,” Darnell says. With another flick of his wrist, a mirror appears in his hand that he holds up for Connor. “See those marks on the side of your neck?”

Sure enough, there are two bite marks there, swollen and an angry red, as if someone with two very pointed canines munched on Connor’s skin. 

“That’s where the vampire bit you. Turns out some of my wards were weakened and that’s how he got on the property at all. And why he could use his glamour to make you obedient. I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t expect any creature of the night would be daring enough to crawl out of his hole on Halloween,” Darnell says, like Halloween isn’t the night all those creatures are supposed to be out in the open. 

Creatures that don’t really exist, Connor reminds himself. 

“Anyway,” Darnell continues, “you’re lucky Leon found you when he did and staked the vamp, because I’m pretty sure he would have sucked you dry.”

“Leon...,” Connor says and forgets where he was going with his sentence because he suddenly remembers Leon driving a stake through a guy’s heart. And that guy turning into dust.

“Leon saved your life, yeah. I mean, it’s kind of his job to hunt vampires, but I think he was really into you, because I haven’t seen him this mad in forever.”

“Vampires are real,” Connor says, staring at Darnell because even though he thinks what he saw was real, he still thinks that this could also be a very elaborate joke.

“Yup,” Darnell replies.

“Leon hunts vampires.”

“Well. Not just vampires, but yeah.” 

That’s a lot to digest, but Connor doesn’t allow himself to dwell on it. 

“You’re a witch.”

Darnell releases the hold he has on the mirror and it floats in the air. Then he points a finger at it and moves it in a circle. The mirror starts rotating. “Evidently. Now would you please, please drink the potion so I don’t have to spend another five hours bent over a cauldron?”

“What’s in it?” Connor asks. 

“You don’t want to know,” Darnell says with a grin and Connor nods. “Bottom’s up.” 

Connor downs the contents of the glass, ignoring how metallic and vile it tastes, and apart from having his worldview turned upside down, he does feel a lot better afterwards.

  
  


Connor needs a few days to adjust to the fact that his best friend, a witch, set him up on a date with a hunter of the supernatural, and that he was saved from death by vampire by said hunter. 

His texts with Darnell look a lot like this:

CM: Werewolves?

_ DN: Real.  _

CM: Demons?

_ DN: Real. _

CM: Satan?

_ DN: Real and fucking scary. _

Once he feels a little less like everything he thought he knew is a lie, he gets Leon’s number from Darnell, because the polite thing to do when somebody saves your life is to thank them.

It still takes him a few more days to get up the courage and call. 

“Hello?” Leon says when he answers the phone. He sounds grumpy and his voice is rough, like he’s still half-asleep. It’s past noon, but Connor belatedly realizes that Leon must always work nights and sleep during the day. 

“Uh, hi,” Connor says.

There’s a moment of silence at the other end of the line before Leon asks, “Connor?” 

“Yeah, hi! Sorry for bothering you, uh. I just wanted to say thanks, you know, for Halloween. Darnell explained what happened, that you saved my life and all that, and I wanted to say thanks for that.”

“Oh. You’re welcome?” Leon says, as if he doesn’t know the appropriate response. 

“I mean, I guess that’s just what you do, right? You kill vampires?”

“Kind of.” Leon sounds a bit amused and Connor feels so stupid. 

“Anyway. Sorry if I ruined the date by getting bitten. And thanks again for saving my life.” 

He waits for a beat and is about to hang up when Leon suddenly says, “Hey, could we get a cup of coffee later?”

Connor isn’t quite sure why, because he has no idea what Leon could possibly want to see him for, but he says yes. 

  
  


Connor hasn’t left his place all that much since Halloween, even though Darnell assured him multiple times that he’s not going to run into a vampire or a banshee during the day, not in a busy city, anyway. Connor isn’t afraid, per se, but he’s not keen on becoming someone’s snack anytime soon either. 

It is weirdly unsettling to find that the world outside his room has moved on from Halloween in an entirely unceremonious fashion. Connor’s mind has been stuck on that night, but there are no more pumpkins to be found, no cobwebs and bat stickers in the display windows. When Connor arrives at the Starbucks Leon picked for their meeting, the Pumpkin Spice has made way for the Gingerbread Latte, at least on the sidewalk sign.

Connor doesn’t wait long and when Leon shows up, he’s dressed in a nice, deep blue winter coat with a cozy-looking big scarf wrapped around his neck. Scarves have become Connor’s best friends recently, because the Vampire bites are still visible and he won’t allow Darnell to perform any more magic on him, or put makeup on him, for that matter.

“Hi,” Leon says. Connor doesn’t quite know what to say and Leon’s handsome face is distracting on top of that. 

“How are you?” Leon asks.

“I’m okay,” Connor says. He’s not entirely sure that is true, because so many things have changed in the past week, all because he reluctantly agreed to go on a date on Halloween.

“Yeah? It usually takes a while to recover from a bite like that.” 

Connor is glad Leon just addressed the elephant in the room. He huffs out a breath and nods. “Darnell did some of his…,” he starts, but saying the word magic out loud is ridiculous to him still, so he finishes his sentence with a hand gesture, trying to imitate the way Darnell can apparently just levitate things with a flick of his wrist. “So I’m okay.”

“Okay,” Leon says. His voice sounds neutral, but one of his eyebrows is raised like he doesn’t fully believe Connor. “Do you want to grab a coffee and just go for a walk?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” Connor doesn’t really feel like sitting in a crowded coffee shop anyway and his mom is always worried about him not getting enough fresh air, so she’d probably approve. He hasn’t spoken to her since he nearly died because he hates lying to her and he’s pretty sure she wouldn’t be thrilled to know what kind of company he’s keeping at the moment.

Leon holds the door open for him when they go in and again when they leave, Connor with a simple cappuccino that Leon paid for, Leon with a giant sweet monstrosity that was invented to make teeth rot.

Leon leads their way from the busy streets and towards a big park Connor never knew was there. It’s a nice park. Most people seem to be here walking their dogs and there’s a playground full of yelling children. 

They start walking along the neat path that wraps around a small pond when Leon suddenly says, “I’m sorry.” 

“What for?” Connor asks, confused.

“I shouldn’t have left you that night,” Leon explains. “None of that would have happened if I hadn’t left.” 

“Oh,” Connor says. He supposes that’s true. Still, it’s not like he blames Leon for what happened to him. “You couldn’t have known there was a vampire lurking in the dark, though. And you weren’t that into me, so you left. That’s fine, you don’t have to apologize.” Connor is very focused on his own feet as he says this, so he doesn’t notice at first that Leon has stopped dead in his tracks. 

“I didn’t leave because I wasn’t into you,” Leon says firmly. “That scream we heard? I thought it might be something, so I ran off to see if someone needed my help. Of course when I got there, I found a speaker hooked up to an iPod and I realized it was a diversion.”

“Uh, what?” Connor thought he knew everything that happened, but apparently there is more to the story. 

“The vampire who bit you? He targeted you because you were with me. And he made sure I would leave so he could get to you.” Leon looks miserable. “I am so sorry. If I had known, I never would have gone on the date. I haven’t been on a date in a long time, but Darnell said the cards had told him you were meant for me, and it’s generally wise to trust a witch.”

Connor isn’t sure what it means that he only needs a few seconds to digest all of the craziness Leon just dropped on him. He has a lot of questions, but the thing that’s most interesting to him isn’t the occupational hazards of Leon’s job or the divination skills Darnell apparently has. 

“So you did like me?”

A small smile appears on Leon’s lips. “Of course I do. I thought that was obvious.” 

“Huh,” Connor says, because that is the most surprising thing in all of this. 

“But I put you in danger and you’ll never know how sorry I am. I should have known better.”

Connor frowns. “I mean, in all honesty, if Darnell was better at his whole thing, then he would have put up new wards or something, and none of this would have happened.” He doesn’t really blame Darnell, but he doesn’t like that Leon is blaming himself for all of this.

Leon chuckles. “He’s actually a pretty powerful witch,” he says and finally starts walking towards Connor.

“Of course he is,” Connor deadpans, like he knows anything about that. “And you’re basically Buffy.”

Leon laughs now. “Kind of, yeah,” he says.

“So what’s that like?” Connor asks.

“Not as cool as it sounds.”

They resume their walk around the park, and Leon tells Connor about his life as a hunter. Connor learns that vampires don’t actually like graveyards or sleep in coffins, and that most werewolves lead very normal lives and run in the woods once a month. He also finds out that unicorns aren’t real, but mermaids absolutely are, and that demons are much more likely to possess someone than trick them into signing a contract. Leon warns him that the fae are treacherous and don’t look like Tinkerbell at all, and that given the choice between making a deal with a demon and a fae, he would chose the demon. 

There’s also the fact that Darnell stems from a long line of witches who are the leaders of their coven, and that there are seven covens in the country who have some sort of Cold War situation going on, but Leon says witch politics are too confusing for him, so he tries to stay out of it.

“What about hunters? Do you have like, a union or something like that?” Connor asks. 

Leon shakes his head. “No, were more like lone wolves,” he says.

“How do you even end up with that job?” For all the stories Leon has told him, he hasn’t talked about himself much.

Leon goes quiet and looks out over the pond, contemplating his answer. Connor notices that his hand has been balled into a fist. 

“They don’t really give you much choice in the matter,” Leon says.

“They?” Connor asks quietly.

“The Council of Elders. They are responsible for keeping the supernatural world in balance and to that end, they negotiate treaties between opposing forces. Not everyone plays by the rules, so they select humans and bestow upon them the powers they need to keep the peace.” Leon sounds bitter as he adds, “They consider it a blessing.” 

Connor feels like an idiot for assuming Leon chose this life and that he liked the work he does. He never imagined it could be something he was forced to do.

Connor moves closer to Leon and takes his hand, squeezing it gently. “Is there no way to get out of this?” 

Leon sighs. “I have a duty to fulfill before they release me. I owe them another thirty years of service.” 

“I’m sorry,” Connor says. 

“It’s not so bad,” Leon says, squeezing his hand in return. “I just sometimes wish I could have a normal life, but this is all I’ve ever known. I’m not sure I’d even know how to start being anything but a hunter.” 

“Getting coffee with a guy you like is somewhat normal,” Connor says with a smile. “We can just forget about the whole thing where I got bitten by a vampire and you saved my life.” 

Leon smiles, too. “How about if I walk you home, then?” 

Night has fallen around them and Connor is glad for Leon’s company on the way home. He’s even happier when Leon doesn’t let go of his hand once, and Connor remembers, amongst everything he heard today, Leon telling him something about Darnell and the cards.

When they get to Connor’s apartment building, he asks Leon about it. 

“Like all witches, Darnell can use different techniques to predict the future,” Leon says. “Some witches are better at it than others, of course. And it may have been a ruse to get me to go on a date at all.” 

“And the cards said that I was meant for you?” 

“And I for you,” Leon says. 

“What does that even mean?” Connor asks, because it sounds a lot like one true love and destiny, and he doesn’t really believe in those things. Then again, he didn’t use to believe that vampires existed.

“I don’t know,” Leon says. “But I understand that this is a lot to come to terms with. A lot has happened to you in the past week, and I know it’s scary. I understand if you don’t want to see me again. The cards aren’t always right, anyways.”

“I think maybe they are this time,” Connor says. He doesn’t wait for even a moment longer before he kisses Leon, because the thought of not seeing him again is more terrifying than any vampire or werewolf could ever be.

Leon doesn’t hold back when he returns the kiss. His lips are soft but demanding, his hands are pulling Connor closer and Connor just sinks into the kiss, forgetting everything around him until Leon carefully pulls away. 

“Do you want to come up?” Connor asks, a little breathless and his heart beating furiously in his chest. 

“Are you sure about this? We don’t have to rush.” 

“You say that, but then who knows how long it will take for me to get scratched by a goblin or some shit,” Connor says, and Leon laughs out loud. Connor has to kiss him again, and then he takes his hand and leads him inside. 

He kisses Leon on the elevator and against the door to his apartment, and once he has fumbled the keys out of his pockets and let them in, he pulls Leon into his bedroom. They leave a trail of coats and scarves and hats behind. 

Connor is a little surprised by how bold he is, and perhaps that has something to do with nearly dying, or with the fact that he wants Leon like he hasn’t wanted anyone ever before. 

“Hey,” Leon says. His hands have found their way underneath Connor’s shirt and they’re drawing small circles into his skin. “You’re gorgeous,” he says, and Connor feels himself blush. 

“I think maybe Darnell has done something to make you think I’m way hotter than I am,” Connor mumbles, but Leon shakes his head.

“No way,” he says firmly. “I wanted you the second I saw you in that over the top dracula costume.” He lifts Connor’s shirt up and over his head and his eyes wander over Connor’s body, full of want. 

It makes Connor’s pulse race and he quickly pulls Leon’s shirt off as well. Leon’s shoulders are broad and the muscles on his arms and abdomen are well defined. Connor traces them with his fingertips.

Leon seems distracted by something, and when Connor catches him staring at the bite marks on his neck, his eyes dark. 

“I’m okay,” he reassures Leon, one hand wrapped around the base of his neck. 

“Yeah,” Leon breathes. “I can make them disappear,” he adds, and Connor just hums in agreement and slides his hand up into Leon’s hair. 

Leon trails hot, open-mouthed kisses from Connor’s lips over his jaw and down to where the bite marks are. His lips settle over them and sucks at the skin there, gently at first and with abandon when Connor presses his fingertips against his scalp and a low moan escapes his lips. 

“Fuck,” Leon mumbles, and pushes Connor backwards until they fall down onto the bed and Leon can slide a leg between Connor’s and kiss him senseless. 

Connor grinds against him until the friction alone is not enough anymore. He slides his hand between their bodies to open the button of Leon’s pants and once he has access, he presses the heel of his hand against Leon’s erection. 

“Oh god,” Leon says. A few moments later, his pants are off and he strips Connor out of his own, too. “Gorgeous,” Leon whispers. 

Then he wraps his hand around Connor’s dick and Connor thinks he might lose his mind, because Leon knows what he’s doing. Leon is covering him, making him feel weighed down and protected in the best way, and he’s lighting Connor up with the gentle but firm roaming of his hands. The only thing Connor knows to do is go with it, so he continues kissing Leon everywhere.

It’s only when Connor traces his lips down to Leon’s neck, sucks at his pulse point, that Leon moans and melts into Connor further. 

“Connor,” Leon breathes, reverent. Connor doesn’t know what to say, just keeps kissing and squirming so Leon is forced to hold him down a bit more. Connor likes it, and he doesn’t care how much. 

“What do you want,” Connor whispers, genuinely curious but also trying to pull more out of Leon. Leon growls a little, at the base of his throat, then rakes his fingernails lightly over Connor’s sides.

“Too much, probably,” Leon says. 

Connor whines and crushes his lips against Leon’s. He wants to give Leon everything.

“Me, too,” Connor breathes and Leon stops jacking him off, staring at Connor with his mouth open slightly, his lips glistening wetly. 

“We have all the time in the world,” Leon promises. He kisses Connor deeply and slides his dick against Connor’s, wrapping his hand around it as well. His thumb circles over the head of Connor’s dick, spreading precome. 

“I can’t wait to work you open,” Leon whispers. His dick is heavy against Connor’s, warm and hard. “Can’t wait to get you wet and ready for me.” 

“Fuck,” Connor mumbles, biting his lip so doesn’t say something embarrassing.

“I’ll make it so good for you, Connor. Want you to come with me inside you, to come with me.”

Leon increases the pace of his hand jacking them off, and Connor feels his orgasm coming towards him. He digs his fingers into Leon’s arm and pulls Leon down for a hot, wet kiss as he tumbles over the edge, coming between them, Leon following suit.

Leon collapses on top of him, a soothing, heavy weight, and Connor wraps his arms around him because he doesn’t want Leon to move even an inch.

“Those better not be empty promises,” Connor says after a few moments, once his heartbeat has slowed down a bit and he starts feeling relaxed and spent.

“Believe me, they’re not,” Leon whispers in his ear. 

  
  


When Connor wakes up, it is still dark outside. He’s not sure what time it is. He reaches for Leon, but the bed next to him is empty. He hears a noise just outside his room, and sits up quickly. 

“Leon?”

The door to his room opens, and for a second all Connor sees is a the silhouette of a tall man in the doorway, before he flicks on the lamp on his nightstand and recognizes Leon.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Leon says and come back into the room.

“Where are you going?” Connor asks, a bit worried that maybe he somehow read everything wrong and Leon was trying to sneak out to avoid this exact conversation. 

“I need to make sure no one gets bitten or mangled tonight,” Leon says with a low chuckle. “I’ll be back before sunrise. You should go back to sleep until then.” 

He comes back to the bed and leans down to kiss Connor, soft and warm and solid. 

“Be careful,” he says and presses one more kiss to Leon’s lips. 

“I promise,” Leon says and slips out of the room.

Connor touches the side of his neck, where he knows a hickey is covering up the faint bite marks. Connor’s heart feels so full he doesn’t know how not to smile.

Vampires are real, his best friend is a witch, he’s dating a hunter, and the cards say they’re meant for each other.

Connor knows they’re right. 

  
  



End file.
